The Competition
by Ristan
Summary: HGDM, SSOC, HPGW(eventually). Draco has changed. Will he switch sides? Dumbledore holds a singing contest, Snape is intrigued by the new DADA, and Harry's battle with Voldemort is looming....
1. September, part 1

**Omigosh! My first fanfic! I'm so nervous about posting this, so be nice in your reviews, k?**

**Disclaimer: The world of HP? Don't own it, despite my wishes to the contrary. I only own the plotline.....**

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**September**

"Welcome to another year at Hogwart's!" Headmaster Dumbledore's voice boomed out across the Great Hall. The sorting ceremony had just finished, and the students were anxiously awaiting the end of his speech and the start of the feast.

Dumbledore continued with his speech, mentioning the usual – the Forbidden Forest was forbidden, Filch's list of items that would be confiscated, and of course, the announcement of the year's Head Boy and Girl. "I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce your Head Boy and Girl – Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger."

Draco and Hermione stood up to polite applause. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione as she sat down. Tease her they did about her bookish ways, they were still enormously proud of her accomplishments.

Ron's face darkened as he looked over at the Slytherin table. He looked over to Hermione and hissed, "You didn't mention that Malfoy was Head Boy."

"That's because I would have had to sit through a two hour tirade about him," replied Hermione primly. "Frankly, I didn't want to hear it. We're Seventh Year's now, Ron. We really need to start acting more maturely." Ron arched an eyebrow at her, but refrained from replying.

Harry's gaze wandered over the Head table, where all the teachers were waiting patiently for Dumbledore's speech to end. He noticed a teacher, obviously new as he'd never seen her before, sitting quietly next to Professor McGonagall with her hat pulled down low over her eyes. "Wonder who that is?" he mused out loud.

"Must be the new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts," replied Hermione, looking up from her Head Girl manual and following his line of sight to the teacher's table. "There aren't any other teaching positions open. Wonder what she'll be like?"

"She can't be any worse than some of the other teachers we've had," laughed Ron. "Wonder if she's a looker? Wouldn't mind that in the least, eh, Harry?" Ron nudged Harry in the side and winked over at Hermione, who just rolled her eyes and returned to her manual as the two boys laughed.

"Honestly, you two. Don't you ever take anything seriously?" she asked. Harry and Ron didn't deign to answer, as they were in too good of a mood to endure one of Hermione's famous lectures. They both turned their attention back to the Headmaster.

"I would like to introduce the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to you all. She hails from Canada, coming to us from the Chateau du Magique where she taught the same subject. She is on loan from the Chateau for one year only, and I'm sure you will join me in making her stay here enjoyable and memorable. Professor Hannah Grace, will you please stand?" Dumbledore began to applaud politely for the witch as she slowly stood, removing her hat as she did. Beside Harry, Ron stiffened and his jaw hung open. Looking past Ron, Harry could see Ginny's eyes widen. They both looked thunderstruck.

Ron stood up. "Hannah??" he called out incredulously. A huge smile spread over his face as Ginny laughed with delight. At the Head table, Professor Grace smiled and waved to the brother and sister who seemed so happy to see her. She then sat down and reached for her glass.

"I can't believe it!" Ron exclaimed as he sat down, still grinning. "It's unbelievable!" Ginny chimed in.

"What is??" demanded both Hermione and Harry at the same time.

Ron and Ginny exchanged a look. "Mum's going to die when she finds out!" said Ron.

"If you don't tell us what's going on, you're BOTH going to die, Ronald and Ginevra Weasley!" cried Hermione. "Who is she? Do you know her?" All of the students at the Gryffendor table were looking in their direction waiting for Ron's answer.

"Hannah's our cousin," beamed Ron. "Well, she's our second cousin, I think, right Gin?" He looked over at his sister for confirmation. At Ginny's nod, he continued, "Her parents moved to Canada ages ago, just after Hannah was born, and we rarely see them. It's been several years since the last time they were here – at Bill's graduation from Hogwarts. They're of an age, her and Bill, I think," he finished, reaching for his pumpkin juice. 

"This is fantastic! Hannah is SO cool! She can actually keep Fred and George in line, which they hate." Ginny enthused. "She is extremely nice, and I'm sure she'll be a fantastic teacher! We'll have to owl mum and see if she knew about this! She had better not have been keeping it from us!" she scowled.

Harry and Hermione looked curiously up at the Head table. Professor Grace didn't have the fiery red hair that was so characteristic of the Weasley family, but you could see glimpses of fire within the warm brown depths. She also didn't have the freckles that plagued her cousin's side of the family, but had a creamy, pale complexion. Her large, bright sapphire blue eyes were definitely a Weasley trait, though, and were set off by the jewel-toned royal blue robes she was wearing. She seemed of average height and was slim but curvy. She had a warm, generous smile that caught everyone's attention immediately.

"She's very pretty," said Hermione, eyeing Hannah's sleek shoulder length hair with something akin to envy. Although Hermione's hair had improved by leaps and bounds since her first year at Hogwarts, she still had to fight with it every morning. Luckily there were charms that gave her a slight advantage – although they didn't always work.

"Pretty?"sputtered Dean Thomas, who sat next to Hermione. "You've got to be kidding. She's gorgeous!" Neville Longbottom, who sat on the other side of Dean, nodded solemnly. Harry couldn't help but agree, but didn't add his opinion as Dumbledore began to speak again.

"As you all know, we are living in troubling times. The war that the wizarding world is currently embroiled in has taken its toll on many of us," Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "As Headmaster, I feel it is my duty not only to educate you so that you may be prepared for the outside world," here he looked over at Harry briefly before continuing, "but also to ensure your stay is as stress free as I can make it." Here his eyes began to sparkle.

"That is why the staff has decided to take an idea that has taken hold of the muggle world and adapt it slightly for us here at Hogwarts. We are going to have a singing competition. Auditions will be held one month from now here in the Great Hall. Anyone from 4th year and over may audition. We will select a group of 8 people to move on to our main competition. We will then have one competition every month where our finalists will have the opportunity to dazzle you with their singing and performing skills. You, as the student body, will then decide who your favorite singers are. After every performance, one contestant will be eliminated, until we are left with the winner."

As the students began to buzz, Dumbledore held up his hand for silence. "I will have a more detailed explanation posted in each of the houses. In the meantime, I suggest that you all warm up your vocal chords for the auditions on October 1st. In the meantime, I believe we have a feast to begin. Enjoy." With that, the house tables were magically filled with food. The students had a great deal to talk about while they ate, with the competition and a new DADA teacher. Ron, Harry and Hermione exchanged a look, then grinned and tucked into their meal as the Great Hall buzzed around them.

The Slytherin table was also filled with laughter and talk of who would audition for the competition. Draco smirked and laughed with the others. He planned to audition, but didn't mention that to his housemates. In fact, he didn't say much at all, preferring to listen and absorb the chatter going on around him. He glanced over at the Gryffindor table and watched Potter, Weasley and Granger as they laughed and interacted with each other and the other members of their house.

Never would he admit it out loud, but Draco was a little envious of the friendship the trio had. Such unwavering loyalty, such deep affection, such camaraderie was unknown to him. He wondered what it would be like to be part of a group like that.

Next to him, Pansy was yammering about how she was a sure bet to win the competition. "I've got such a great singing voice, it will blow you all away," she vowed. Draco rolled his eyes and returned to his meal, lost in his thoughts.

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know....**

**I know there are probably other stories out there about singing competitions at Hogwarts, but I thought I would do one anyway.....Hope you like it so far!**


	2. September, part 2

**Hi again! Just wanted to say a few things. First, a warning. This is going to be a looooooong story. Possibly novel length, I'm not sure. I have several different story lines, and that will take some time to put them to paper (so to speak) and have them run their course. This will be very paced, so have patience with me!  
Second, thanks to my one reviewer, Daunting Darkness. Woo hoo! At least someone has read it so far!!!** **:-)**

**September, part 2**

As the feast drew to a close, Hermione stood up. "I have to meet McGonagall now. She'll be showing Malfoy and me our dorms," she announced. Everyone at the Gryffindor table grimaced. Much as they were all proud that one of their own was Head Girl, the thought of the infamous Slytherin as Head Boy did not sit well with them.

"It's a shame your last year at Hogwarts is going to be ruined, having to share a common room with that git," commiserated Ron as Hermione gathered her things. "If he gets out of hand, let me know – I have just the hex that will help ensure no other girl will ever look at him again, except in disgust!" he announced proudly. Beside him, Harry grinned.

"Gee, thanks Ron, but as I said before, _I'm _going to try being mature. I'm determined that Malfoy's snide remarks and stupid pranks will not ruin my last year here." She looked pointedly at her two best friends. "You should try and do the same. Don't let him get to you!"

"Are you kidding?" Harry joked. "And ruin our biggest source of amusement?"

Hermione ignored Harry. "ANY way, I'm off. I'll see you guys back at the tower, hopefully tonight!" and with that, she was gone.

"_I'm _going to try being mature!" Ron imitated Hermione in a high falsetto voice as the Gryffindor group was leaving the Great Hall. "She does know that we're not 11 years old anymore, doesn't she?"

"Not knowing the way you and your brothers act, Ronald Weasley," replied a voice from directly behind him. Everyone turned to look at the speaker. Professor Grace was standing there with a knowing grin on her face.

"Hannah!" squealed Ginny as she hurled herself into her cousin's arms. Hannah laughed as she caught the girl and gave her a quick squeeze. "Merlin, how tall you gotten, Gin!" she exclaimed, "and so pretty as well, look at this hair!" she touched the red-haired girl's hair with an admiring look. She looked over at Ron. "Speaking of tall – look at you, Ron! You're what, six feet? Six one?"

"Six three, thank you very much," Ron replied as he engulfed his cousin in a bear hug. "It's so good to see you again! Why didn't you owl us you were coming?" he demanded.

"Oh, you know. It was a surprise!" Hannah said. Harry found her voice to have a rich timbre to it, and he decided he liked her North American accent.

"Hannah, this is my best friend, Harry Potter," Ron introduced his cousin to Harry. "He's a right git, but he'll do," he grinned cheekily.

"Thanks Ron," said Harry, holding out his hand for Hannah to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Professor Grace," he said politely.

"Thanks, same here. And you two," she looked pointedly at her cousins, "need to remember that I am Professor Grace here, not Hannah."

"No worries, Han- I mean, Professor Grace," stammered Ron. Hannah laughed. "It's ok, Ron. Tonight I'll make an exception, as I haven't seen you in so long, but remember, I show no favoritism – we do everything by the book, ok?" Ron and Ginny nodded. Hannah smiled warmly at them. "So, where is this famous Gryffindor tower of yours? We may as well get comfortable while we're catching up, eh?" She linked arms with Ron and Ginny and led them down the hall. "Come along Harry!" she called merrily over her shoulder. "I have some extremely mortifying stories about these two that I'm longing to tell!" The sounds of Ron and Ginny's groans were drowned out by the hoot of laughter that escaped Harry as he followed the cousins.

* * *

Hermione stood in front of a painting of a stately sphinx, which was eyeing her, Malfoy and McGonagall balefully. Finally, after scrutinizing each one carefully, it bowed slightly and said, "Good evening Minerva. Are these the new Head Boy and Girl?"

"Yes, Ankh-Set, they are," the teacher replied. She turned to Hermione and Draco. "You'll need to pick a password."

"How about 'die, mudbloods, die'?" suggested Draco with a smirk. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"How about 25 points from Slytherin?" countered McGonagall, which wiped the grin from the Head Boy's face. "Try again."

Hermione thought for a moment while Draco pouted. "How about 'pyramids', in honor of our friend here?" she said finally. Draco shrugged as if to say "whatever". The sphinx bowed to Hermione and remarked "A fine password. Pyramids it is. Enter and enjoy your final year at Hogwarts." With that, the painting swung to the side, revealing the entrance to the common room.

"I'll leave you to it, then. You'll need to do your rounds at 10 PM, and tomorrow morning we will meet and discuss your duties further. Until then, good night." She nodded at the two teens and walked away. Hermione and Draco looked at each other for a moment, until Hermione broke eye contact and walked into the common room. She caught her breath and stopped so suddenly that Draco nearly ran her over.

"Watch it, Granger," he growled, trying to get by. "What are you looking at?"

"It's incredible!" exclaimed Hermione. "Just look at this place!" she squealed. Draco looked around. The common room was round, with a fireplace near the door they just entered. In front of the fireplace were several squishy chairs in various colors, along with a couch in black leather that had lots of plump pillows scattered on it. There was a desk on either side of the room, both made from a rich mahogany, each with a bookshelf behind them built right into the wall. Across from the fireplace was a stairway that went up and branched off into two, one leading up and to the left, the other the same to the right. There were various paintings all over the stone walls, but the most impressive sight was the tapestry that hung over the fireplace – a beautiful, colorful tapestry depicting the Hogwarts crest, complete with the badger, snake, lion and eagle of the four houses.

Draco shrugged. He honestly didn't think it was all that much. He'd certainly seen much better in his home. What was the big deal?

"It's so beautiful!" Hermione breathed. She gave another squeal and twirled once before heading up the stairs. She looked right, then turned and went up the left staircase. Draco followed slowly and found that the doors at the tops of the staircases had their names inscribed on them – Draco's in silver, Hermione's in gold. He walked up the right staircase to his door and pushed it open. It was a round room, just like the common room below, but on a smaller scale. There was a larger version of his Slytherin dorm bed opposite the door, with a small fireplace to the left and a large chest of drawers to the right. There was also a chest at the foot of the bed. The linens were all of green and silver satin, as were the curtains around the bed. There were two chairs in front of the fireplace and several windows overlooking the grounds. It was a cozy room, and Draco decided it would do. Judging from the squealing and exclamations of delight coming from the Gryffindor's room, he assumed Granger felt the same.

He noticed another door just to the left of the doorway he was standing in, and, curious, he opened it. It led into a huge rectangular bathroom, all white tile and marble. There was a sink on either side of a large shower stall, a huge tub on the opposite wall, and in the corner on the right nearest the door, there was what Draco assumed to be a water closet. Looking to the other end of the room, near the door that Draco assumed led to Granger's room, was another WC. He walked to the other door and pushed it open.

Hermione was bouncing on her bed. He almost laughed at the sheer happiness on her face, but caught himself just in time. Instead he smirked, "Honestly, Granger, can't you try and act your age?"

The Head Girl stopped bouncing and looked over at him gravely. "Malfoy, do you not take pleasure in anything? Aren't you proud of your accomplishments? Can't you just let your hair down and enjoy the fruits of your labors? I mean, LOOK at this place!" she stated happily. Draco looked around. The room was the mirror image of his, but for the bedclothes, which were gold and red silk.

"I can enjoy the 'fruits of my labor' without acting like a five year-old," he retorted. "What is THAT?" he spat out, pointing to an orange patch of fur on the bed. At his comment, the patch in question sat up and hissed at him.

Hermione rolled her eyes and told herself, 'remember, don't rise to his baiting. Act mature.' "Just get out, Malfoy. I'm going to change now before we do our rounds." With that said, she got up, pushed him out the door and firmly closed it in his face. She smiled again and ran back to her bed, where she picked up Crookshanks and hugged him close. She then changed and began to unpack her things. She couldn't wait to show her friends her room!

**Once again....like it or hate it, just tell me about it! Thanks for reading!**


	3. September, part 3

**Another chapter finished! Whew! Enjoy!**

**Thanks again to Daunting Darkness, who has stuck with me so far as my only reviewer. Lots o' hugs!!**

**September, part 3 **

Once Hermione had organized her room to her satisfaction, she decided to go visit her friends in Gryffindor tower before doing her rounds. She bounded down the stairs to the common room and barreled out the door, not noticing the blond Slytherin sitting on the couch.

"Geez, Granger, where's the fire?" he muttered to himself. Turning back to his book, he found that he had lost his concentration. He closed the book with a sigh and looked pensively into the flames burning brightly in the fireplace. It was good to be back at Hogwarts, he thought. It had been a difficult summer. Lucius had been most insistent that Draco would join the Death Eaters and take the Dark Mark as soon as he was of age. His birthday had been that August, but luckily his father had been too busy with the Death Eaters to notice. Draco helped by staying out of his sight whenever his father was home. His father had always been a hard man, but since his time in Azkaban, he had gotten worse. He was never physically abusive, but Draco believed it wouldn't take much to push him to violence.

Draco wasn't sure if he wanted to take the Mark. He couldn't understand his father – he hated muggles, muggleborns and half-bloods with every fiber of his being, yet he continued to abase himself to Voldemort, a half-blood himself. It was so...hypocritical!

Sighing, Draco got up to go get his broom, thinking that a bit of flying might help him shake off his mood. Just then, a knock at the portrait sounded. Opening the door, he found several of his Slytherin "friends" wanting to check out his new place. Shrugging, he let Pansy, Millicent, Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise Zabini in. They would do almost as well to help him get his mind off of things.

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Hermione walked into Gryffindor tower to find her friends all sitting around the fireplace with the new DADA professor, howling with laughter as Hannah told them what appeared to be an embarrassing story about Ron, by the looks of his bright red face.

"So," gasped Hannah, laughing so hard she was having trouble finishing the story, "Ron comes bouncing down the stairs, lands on his rear right in front of his mother, looks up at her and says, ever so casually, 'Hi mum. What's for breakfast?'" At this, another volley of laughter sprung up from the listeners, and Ron slumped down in his seat with his hand over his face. Eventually, though, he started to see the humor and began laughing along with everyone else.

Dean looked up and noticed Hermione standing just inside the door. "Hermione! How are the Head dorms?"

Ron sprang up and ran over to Hermione. He grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the couch where his cousin sat. "Hannah, here is my other best friend, Hermione Granger. She's the smartest witch of her age, and is usually the one that gets us out of the troubles we manage to get ourselves into."

"She's also the brains of our group," added Harry. "I don't know what we'd do without her!"

"Probably fail all of your classes, so you can stop sucking up to me now," retorted Hermione, although she had turned rather pink at the praise her friends had given her. "It's great to meet you, Professor. I look forward to your class."

"Thanks, Hermione, it's great to meet you too. Here, have a seat." Hannah scooted over on the couch so the younger girl could squeeze in. "We were just reminiscing about Ron and Ginny and their exploits when they were younger. Now, I believe that we've embarrassed Ron enough. Shall I now tell you about Ginny's exhibitionist phase? She was only about 5 when she..."

Hannah was interrupted by a shriek from Ginny, who flung a pillow at her cousin's head. Hannah laughed along with the others, then looked at her watch. "Oh dear. Look at the time. I'd better be heading back to my rooms if I want to get any sleep tonight, and I still have a ton of things to do! Have a good night, all. See you in DADA class!" She waved goodbye to everyone as she exited the common room.

"She seems really nice," noted Hermione to Ginny.

"Oh, she's the best, but she IS rather fond of those stories. I wonder if we could Obliviate them from her mind?" Ginny wondered.

"Are you kidding?" laughed Seamus. "I've never seen Ron turn so red. I can't wait to hear more from her!"

"Ok, kids, let's get right down to it," announced Lavender, who had retrieved a piece of parchment from the common room bulletin board. "Here is the notice for the singing competition. Who's going to audition?"

Hermione leaned over Ginny's shoulder to read the bulletin:

**Can you sing?**

**Do you like performing for crowds?**

**Do you want to win 500 Galleons?**

**Then sign up for the**

**Hogwarts Singing Competition**

**(Fourth years and older only please)**

**The theme for the competition will be Muggle music,**

**Therfore only Muggle songs will be allowed.**

**Voting will be done by you, the students.**

**First Prize: 500 Galleons and 200 House Points**

**Second Prize: 250 Galleons and 100 House Points**

**Third Prize: 100 Galleons and 50 House Points**

**Auditions will be held on October 1, 2 and 3**

**There will no balls this year, as there will be parties held after every competition. The exception to this will be the Graduation Ball, where the winner will be revealed.**

**Good Luck!**

**Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster**

"Muggle music? What if we're not familiar with it?" Neville asked.

"Come on, Neville, even the WWN plays Muggle music. There aren't many people that haven't been exposed to it." Pavarti said. "I'm definitely auditioning. Anyone else?"

In the end, Neville, Dean, Lavender and Colin Creevey decided they would join Parvati in the auditions. Harry and Ron both declined, laughing that they were tone deaf and didn't want to do anyone an injury. Seamus claimed that all he could sing were Irish ditties, and that he didn't think that's what the judges would be looking for. Hermione sat silent through all of this.

"Hermione? Will you audition?" Ginny asked her. "Come on, it will be fun!" The seventh year shook her head. "I don't think so, Ginny. I don't think I can sing. What about you?"

"Of course you can! I've heard you singing to yourself before. You have a lovely voice. You have to do it!" Ginny persisted. "I think I will too, I just have to think about it a bit more."

"Translation: she has to check with James first." Ron piped up. He looked critically at his sister. "Gin, you can do so much better than James Sinclair. Listen to you. You don't need his permission," his voice tinged with disgust.

"I know, I just wanted to see if he'll audition too," Ginny replied defensively. "I don't need anyone's permission. Now, will you do it, Hermione? I'd love to see you up on stage singing."

"We'll see. Now, I have to get ready to do my rounds."

"How's the git? Did he give you any trouble?" Ron asked casually.

"No, he didn't, come to think of it. He was almost civil," replied Hermione thoughtfully. She shook herself and then got up to go. "Talk to you all tomorrow. Good night!"

On the way back to her rooms, Hermione thought about it. Malfoy WAS almost civil to her. Not once did he call her a mudblood. The password he suggested earlier almost seemed like his way of making a joke. 'He must be tired or something' she reasoned. 'No way is he going soft on us.' With that, she put him out of her mind.

**Ok, I'm getting worried that A) no one is reading this, or B) people are reading this but don't like it enough to even flame me about it. **

**Seriously, I'm not above begging. Let me know what you think!**

**Don't make me use the Imperious curse on you. It wouldn't be pretty! **


	4. September, part 4

**Ok, sorry for the delay - been busy selling my house and moving, so the past few weeks have been crazy! **

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

**Foxer - thanks for setting me straight on Voldemort and Parvati - I hate it when I get things wrong like that - and such simple stuff too! I've gone back and changed it. I haven't read the fic you mentioned, but I'm sure I'm won't be the last one to write a fic that has SS and a Weasley relative. Hopefully you can just enjoy my story for what it is! (utter crap! lol) :-) **

**Daunting Darkness - your faithfulness in reading this fic makes me so happy! I don't like flamers much either, as they tend to just be bitchy for no reason, but constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks for reviewing again - no Imperious curse for you! **

**So....here's part 4. Enjoy!**

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Hannah made her way back to her rooms slowly, enjoying her trip through the halls. She stopped occasionally to speak with portraits that greeted her and learned a little more about Hogwarts from each one. She absolutely loved the old castle, you could just feel the history that was imbedded in the very stone. After she had wandered awhile, her thoughts turned to her cousins - fine young adults they both were, and a lot of fun to be around. She was also impressed with Harry Potter. He was different than she had expected – more soft-spoken, self-effacing and humble than she thought The Boy Who Lived would be.

'Too self-effacing to make a move on Ginny,' Hannah thought suddenly, with regret. She had caught the quiet adoration in the young man's eyes whenever he looked at her cousin. She sensed that Harry would never make his feelings known - especially not when the object of his affections had a boyfriend. It would be a situation worth keeping an eye on though, she decided.

She had stopped at a T-junction in the hall and was enjoying a particularly gory tale from one of the paintings when a voice spoke from behind her. "_Lumos_," it said.

She turned to see who it was. Standing down the hall, half hidden in the shadows, was Severus Snape. "Good evening, Professor Snape," Hannah greeted her colleague as he drew near. When he made no response, she began to ramble, "I was just enjoying a story from Sir Abernathy here, and I guess I lost track of time. I didn't realize how late it was and..."

"You are a teacher here, are you not, Miss Grace?" interrupted Snape in a quiet, sibilant voice.

"Well, yes. I was just..."

Snape smoothly continued, "Then do not apologize for being out in the hallways. I assure you, there is no curfew for teachers here at Hogwarts."

Hannah smiled warily up at the black-robed wizard while she mentally kicked herself. "Of course. Well, I'd better be off. Good night, professor." Snape merely bent his head a fraction to her as she brushed past him and resumed her trip to her rooms. She could feel his eyes on her as she left.

As she rounded the corner, she relaxed and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. Whether he intended to be or not, Snape was rather intimidating. Hannah groaned as she remembered what a babbling mess she had been. 'So much for cool, calm and collected,' she thought ruefully.

* * *

"Ok, welcome to your Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I am Professor Grace, as you know, and I am looking forward to a year full of learning and, I hope, a lot of fun. Now, take out your textbooks and we'll start at Chapter 1 – Advanced Disarming spells. I'll give you a moment to read the chapter, then we'll try some of them out." As she watched the students follow her instructions, Hannah relaxed somewhat. She was always nervous at the beginning of a term.

Draco tipped his chair back on two legs, arms crossed and eyes on the ceiling. He was much more advanced than this – it was a waste of his time to sit here and do what was really just revision. His father had been intensively training him since he began attending Hogwarts. 'Not for my own protection, of course. It was only so the Malfoy name wasn't dishonored,' he thought bitterly. He was looking forward to the practical lesson though – he wanted to some of the disarming spells on Potter or Weasley. He amused himself for a while thinking about sending them flying across the room in various ways.

Bored, he began looking around the room. He spotted one other person who also wasn't reading their text. 'Granger. Why am I not surprised?' he asked himself. She probably had read it over the summer holiday. He shook his head – how boring it must be to be so...so _studious_ all the time. Did she not have any other interests? Any friends to hang around with – other than Potter and Weasley? Probably not, after all, she WAS a mudblood. Who'd want to be friends with someone like that?

She really hadn't changed during her years at Hogwarts he mused. Still had bushy hair, same lack of fashion sense. He supposed her eyes were rather fine, but as they were always narrowed at him with dislike, he couldn't really attest to that. Her face would be striking, he thought, if only she would make an effort to tame that head of hair!

As he was thinking, he tilted his chair back a little further to get a better look at Hermione...

CRASH!

The entire class turned to look at the source of the noise, which happened to be sheepishly getting to his feet. After glaring at the rest of the class, he righted his chair and sat back down. Hannah, trying hard not to smile, walked over to Draco's desk and asked, "Alright, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco sneered at the professor and looked away, his cheeks turning slightly pink. Hannah arched an eyebrow at him, then returned to Dean, who had been asking her a question about the materiel they were studying.

Ron and Harry were having trouble containing their laughter. Harry had tears in his eyes, and Ron was chewing on his fist to keep from guffawing out loud. Hermione sent an exasperated look to the two of them, even though she had been hard pressed to contain her laughter when the accident occurred. 'The look on his face! Where's a camera when you need one?' she thought. She chewed her quill thoughtfully, wondering if she should tease him about it in the common room later that night. No, she reminded herself sternly, she was trying to be mature. That meant not provoking fights. She mentally shrugged. Oh well. The memory alone would keep her amused for a long time!

* * *

A palpable excitement ran through the student body like an electric current as October 1st and the auditions drew closer. It was the only topic of conversation, overshadowing the student's studies, even the upcoming Quidditch season. The teachers were hard pressed to keep the youngster's focus on learning.

"Now, you need to make sure you wave your wand properly during this spell; if you do it improperly, the consequences can be dire..." Professor McGonagall trailed off as she watched her class all but ignore her. Whispered conversations were being held all over the room. She sighed in exasperation as she realized she wasn't holding their attention.

"Really, people. I understand that the upcoming competition is a riveting subject, but do try and concentrate for 5 minutes. There is a time and place for things, and my classroom is not the place. If I may continue..." The students all sat up and paid attention – for almost 5 minutes. Then the whispering began again. Minerva threw her hands up in the air and sighed again. She leaned up against her desk and watched for a moment, a smile tugging at her lips involuntarily. If you can't beat them, she thought fondly. 

"Alright. So who among you will be auditioning?" she asked the students. About 15 hands promptly shot up. "That's all?" A couple more hands were slowly raised. "Excellent. I'm sure you will all do your best to make this competition a memorable one. I'm looking forward to judging you."

"You're one of the judges, Professor?" said Harry, surprised. "Yes Mr. Potter, I am. Why does that surprise you so much?" Harry turned red and began to stammer out an apology, but the professor silenced him. "Believe it or not, I can sing, and I have a good ear for music. I was actually in a group – nothing like your rock and roll nowadays, but we were quite good, I must say. I think I'm more qualified than most in this school to judge your talents," she said primly. The students tittered at the thought of their professor on stage performing.

"Now," she continued, giving up the class for lost, "as we are not getting anywhere with this lecture, I believe that we should break early for lunch. Off you go," she dismissed them with a wave. The students, not believing their good luck, scrambled to collect their things before McGonagall changed her mind.

"Wow, that was a first," exclaimed Ron as he, Harry and Hermione made their way out of the classroom. "She must be getting soft in her old age."

Harry laughed and said, "Soft? McGonagall? You're the one going soft Ron, right between the ears if you think that." He looked slyly over at Hermione; "Have you decided whether or not you'll be auditioning?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not yet. I still have time – you have until the day before at dinnertime to sign up. I'm still thinking about it. I'm going back to the Head dorms to review for a bit before lunch. See you in the Great Hall!"

Ron sighed. "I love her dearly, but seriously. How hard can it be to decide? How much do you want to bet that she'll be standing in front of the sign up sheet up to the last second, debating with herself?"

Harry smiled at his friend, "I guess she just doesn't want to be embarrassed. It takes a lot of guts to do that sort of thing. All we can do is support her, whatever her decision."

"Yeah. Hey! You know what an early lunch means, right?" When Harry shook his head, Ron rolled his eyes and grabbed his friend's arm, dragging him towards the Great Hall, "It means more time to eat!" he declared with relish. The corridor rang with Harry's helpless laughter as he was pulled towards the Hall.

**Ok, you know what to do - tell me I'm brilliant, tell me I suck. Just let me know! :-)**


	5. October, part 1

**Ok, wow. That was some hiatus, eh? It had started out as a small case of writer's block, and then I found out I was pregnant a couple of months ago, and the rest is history. I had this chapter mostly written out months ago, but just finally found the drive and desire to polish it up and post it. Sorry for the wait!**

**October, part 1**

Hermione slowly walked the corridor toward the Head Dorms after breakfast on October 1st, feeling rather nervous. She had signed up the evening before for the competition, and she had had ample time to regret her decision. 'Oh, knock it off, Hermione,' she thought to herself. 'Honestly, what's the worst that could happen?' She knew she wasn't that bad of a singer, she just wasn't sure if she was good enough to win, and that bothered her. She hated when she wasn't really good at something, and she didn't feel she had adequate skill for this.

Her thoughts drifted to her Head partner. Malfoy had been rather scarce over the past month, and when they did meet for Head duties or in class, he had been rather subdued. He also wasn't hanging around his Slytherin friends much – preferring to hang out in the Head common room or his bedroom. That was disturbing, thought Hermione. Having Malfoy act out of character like that was like hell freezing over or pigs flying – it just didn't happen (even in the wizarding world). On the other hand, she thought, not having to keep your guard up whenever he was around was kind of nice.

As Hermione entered the Head Dorms, she was pulled up short by an interesting sight. Malfoy was sitting on the sofa, with a guitar on his lap, strumming a tune and singing quietly. She closed the door and leaned back against it, listening, not wanting to disturb him.

He had a great voice, she conceded to herself. Good range, with a slight growl that most women would just love. She shifted against the door, and at the slight movement, Malfoy looked up and noticed her standing there. Hermione was surprised at the look on his face – with no smirk on his face or coldness in his eyes, he was actually not bad to look at. Quite passable, really. The unguarded look was gone in an instant, however, and the coldness returned to his eyes as he returned her gaze. "Problem, Granger?"

"Not at all," she replied as she placed her book bag on a chair. She began to climb the stairs to her room, but turned halfway up. "You…you're pretty good," she said hesitantly. "Are you auditioning?"

"That must have been hard for you to do. Complimenting me, I mean." He didn't take his eyes off the guitar as he spoke.

"You have no idea, Malfoy," she said dryly.

A soft snort was his reply. As she continued up the stairs, he said "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I am auditioning," he stated.

Hermione rolled her eyes and went up to her room without further comment.

As he continued strumming his guitar, Draco stared at the fire, his gaze unfocused. He really was shocked that Granger had offered him a compliment. Of course, he knew he was good – how could he be otherwise? – but to have one of the Golden Trio admit it was surprising.

How long had she been standing there? He rarely allowed others to hear him sing. It was an escape for him, something personal, somewhere to go when he needed to placate the various needs within him 'How people would laugh if they knew I needed something to escape to,' he thought grimly. He worked hard to maintain the façade that his life was perfect. It wasn't hard in earlier years, but now…

Draco supposed that he shouldn't have been playing in their common room if he didn't want Granger hearing him, but oddly, he found that he hadn't minded playing in front of her. 'Now where did THAT come from?' he asked himself. His mind shied away from answering that question – it would have involved exploring certain avenues of thought that he just wasn't up for at the moment. Sighing, he turned his attention back to the guitar and began singing softly again.

* * *

"Does anyone know where Professor Snape is?" asked Professor McGonagall. She pursed her lips and frowned. She was in the antechamber next to the Great Hall with her fellow judge, Professor Flitwick, and was waiting for the last member of the judging trio to arrive. Nearly Headless Nick was also there, as he would be organizing the flow of the auditions. 

At their negative replies, McGonagall sighed in exasperation. Flitwick grinned and said "I'd be surprised if he did show up. He was really not happy when the Headmaster chose him to be a judge."

McGonagall smiled back. "Do you know, I thought he was going to hex Albus for a moment? I've never seen him go so pale, and for Severus, that's saying something!"

"Why on earth did he choose Severus to judge, anyway? It's not like he has any interest in the competition. Why, Madame Pomfrey was all too happy to step in and…" Professor Flitwick trailed off as the door to the chamber opened and revealed a severely unhappy Snape.

"Ah, Severus. Do come in and have a seat. The judging will commence shortly," Minerva said briskly, striding over to the judges table. It was a large wooden one, sitting on a dais, with three comfortable padded chairs behind it. Mentally steeling himself for the trials ahead, Snape squared his shoulders and walked over the table. Seating himself, he shot a glare at Dumbledore, who had just walked in.

Dumbledore, however, was unfazed by his Potions teacher's ire. "Excellent. You're all here. Sir Nicholas, send the students in, groups of 5 at a time. Now," he continued, looking at the teachers sitting on the dais, "we need 8 finalists. I'm sure you'll have no problems picking out some fine young talents over the next few days! Enjoy yourselves!" He waved his hand as he walked out of the room.

Snape sighed. It was going to be a long couple of days.

The first 5 students filed in slowly, herded by a beaming Nick. They lined up in front of the table, looking like they were facing their executions. Professor Flitwick smiled encouragingly at them, but one look at Snape's face was enough to make most of the student's take a step back.

"When we call your name, please step forward and begin singing your chosen piece," stated Professor McGonagall. She gestured to the girl on the left. "You may begin."

On the evening of the third day of auditions, their enthusiasm for judging (well, Flitwick's and McGonagall's enthusiasm, anyway) was waning. They had experienced the entire spectrum of talent, including:

**- **Luna Lovegood's spacey version of "The Unicorn Song". As she mumbled the lyrics with an absentminded air and a soft, breathy voice, Flitwick had put his head down on the desk and left it there for the duration of the audition. Minerva had surreptitiously patted him on the back in sympathy. Snape had contented himself with just rolling his eyes.

**- **Pansy Parkinson's rather…dramatic operatic performance. Snape grimaced as she butchered her way through a piece none of them could identify. Flitwick winced noticeably as she attempted the higher notes, and even McGonagall couldn't keep a blank face – the corner of her left eye began twitching when Pansy tried (and failed) to hold a high "C" note for about 20 seconds. They were left speechless at the end of the performance – a response that Pansy took to be, as she put it, "overwhelmed with awe". "Couldn't have put it better myself," snapped McGonagall. Flitwick had actually guffawed at that point, leaving Pansy to glare at the judges and then leave in tears.

**- **Colin Creevey's rousing rendition of "I'm Too Sexy". Snape had actually stood up at this point and started to leave. He would have succeeded if Minerva hadn't grabbed the back of his robes. The sight of tiny Colin trying to be "sexy" had overloaded his brain, and he felt a desire, nay a desperate need to open a bottle of fire whiskey and try to drink the sight of Colin's bumping and grinding (and stripping...oh Merlin, the stripping!) out of his mind. Surprisingly, Professor Flitwick had seemed to actually enjoy the performance.

There were good auditions as well. Vincent Crabbe's crooning of "Moon River" had made all three judges gape with astonishment – who knew the Slytherin could sing so well? He could barely talk with any coherency. Ginny Weasley had shown a powerhouse voice with her audition – she sang "I Will Always Love You". Sweet Hannah Abbott showed a groovy, jazzy side to her when she performed her version of "Take Another Little Piece of My Heart".

Still, the bad auditions outnumbered the good – by a huge margin. Professor Flitwick was finding it harder and harder to find encouraging and supportive words. Snape had become more and more reticent as the night wore on, finally resorting to arched eyebrows and quiet snorts to show his disdain for the participants. At last, Professor McGonagall called for a break.

"Since when did tone-deafness become epidemic?" she demanded, throwing her hands up in the air.

They were beginning to despair of ever finding eight good talents to participate in the competition, until the final group was marched in. In this final group were Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.

Two of the other three students offered mediocre performances; the third merely burst into tears at the sight of Snape's scowl, and fled the audition room before she could perform her piece.

When it was Malfoy's turn, he stepped forward and began to sing in a low voice:

_No one knows what it's like_

_To be the bad man_

_To be the sad man_

_Behind blue eyes_

_No one knows what it's like _

_To be hated_

_To be fated_

_To telling only lies_

_But my dreams_

_They aren't as empty_

_As my conscience seems to be_

_I have hours, only lonely_

_My love is vengeance_

_That's never free_

At this point, Professor Snape held up a hand and said, "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy." Without further comment, Malfoy stepped back into line. The three judges exchanged glances, very impressed with Malfoy's voice.

"Miss Granger, please step forward," Professor McGonagall gestured to Hermione. For a moment, Hermione just looked at the judges while she fought the butterflies that seemed to take up residence in her stomach. It was only when Professor Snape let loose an exasperated sigh that she collected herself and began to sing.

_For you_

_There'll be no crying_

_For you_

_The sun will be shining_

_Cause I feel that when I'm with you_

_It's alright, __I know it's right_

_And the songbirds keeps singing _

_Like they know the score_

_And I love you, I love you, I love you_

_Like never before_

Here she paused, uncertain whether to continue or not. The judges were reacting differently: Professor Flitwick had tears in his eyes and his hands clasped to his chest, Professor McGonagall had closed her eyes and was smiling beatifically, and even Professor Snape had leaned forward in his seat and was watching Hermione intently. Draco was gazing at her, his face inscrutable. At Sir Nicholas' hurried gesture, she continued.

_To you_

_I would give the world_

_To you_

_I'd never be cold_

_Cause I feel that when I'm with you_

_It's alright, I know it's right_

_And the songbirds keep singing _

_That they know the score_

_And I love you, I love you, I love you_

_Like never before_

_Like never before_

_Like never before_

Here Hermione trailed off, having reached the end of the song. She took a deep breath and stepped back.

Professor McGonagall recovered first. Clearing her throat, she smiled at Hermione. "Well done, Miss Granger. I believe that we're unanimous – Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy will be the last 2of our final 8 performers. Thank you for auditioning." At her dismissal, the students turned and left the antechamber.

Once Hermione was back in the Great Hall, she looked for her friends, who were waiting anxiously for her to come out. At her delighted grin, she was swarmed by everyone trying to congratulate her at once. Ginny hugged her friend, saying, "I'm so happy you made it through! Merlin, Hermione, wasn't that the most excruciating thing? I was soooo nervous!" She laughed and tossed her hair over one shoulder as Harry and Ron walked over. "I heard Pansy's performance left a great deal to be desired. Word has it that she almost blew out the judges eardrums!"

Hermione chuckled. "I can imagine. Yes, I was nervous too, but it all seemed to melt away once I started singing. I think I did OK though."

Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Obviously! Good work," he said smiling at her. "I knew you would blow them away," Ron added.

"Thanks guys. Now I just want to sit for a moment and get control of my legs again – they're still a bit shaky!" As she moved towards the Gryffindor table, she glanced to her right – and her eyes collided with Malfoy's, who was still staring at her with that unreadable expression. As she let her gaze linger a moment longer, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he inclined his head to her – just a fraction of an inch – in salute. Hermione looked away, unsure as to what just happened. Had Malfoy actually complimented her?

Sitting down, she let the chatter of her classmates flow over her. She was so glad that was over with. When she had first signed up for the audition, she told herself it didn't matter if she made the final 8. Now she realized that she did mind – she had really wanted to be in the finals.

Draco kept an eye on Hermione as the judges came out of the antechamber and made the official announcement of who the 8 finalists would be. Along with himself and Granger,the Weasel'ssister, Crabbe(Crabbe?That was a shocker), Hannah Abbott, a fourth year he didn't know, Megan something-or-other, Blaise Zabini, and fifth year MarcusClarkewere also part of the final 8.He watched as Granger's eyes sparkled as she laughed at something the Weasley girl had said, and her cheeks were tinged with pink. She really was not a bad looking girl, he thought. He'd never admit it out loud, but her performance had astonished him. He would never have thought that a voice so rich and warm would have come from her prim and proper form. 'She belongs in the final 8, no mistake there,' he thought. 'It'll be interesting to compete against her.'

**God, I'm sure that this chapter sucks, so don't be afraid to let me know! Hermione is singing "Songbird" by Eva Cassidy - I strongly recommend you download this song - she has an amazing voice, and it's a wonderful, romantic song to listen to. That was the tone I was trying to go for with Hermione - something wistful and romantic, something people wouldn't expect from her. Draco's song, was of course, "Behind Blue Eyes" by Limp Bizkit - a fitting, if somewhat cliche song choice for him.**


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